Feline lymphoma. A comparison with the burkitt tumor of children

Visceral lymphosarcoma is a common disease of domestic cats in the United States and presents many striking similarities to lymphosarcoma of children reported in Africa and elsewhere. Fifteen cases are presented in this report, all of which demonstrate a visceral involvement characteristic of the childhood disease and 6 of them exhibit the “starry‐sky” histologic appearance. The age group affected, the acute clinical course and the absence of leukemia are also features common to both diseases. These observations further enhance the view that the Burkitt lymphoma is not a specific entity confined to certain parts of Africa but rather represents a disease manifestation peculiar to childhood, and, in fact, to other species, regardless of geographic location. The feline disease may provide an experimental model in which to explore etiologic and pathogenetic factors.